around for me. >> wow that's powerful stuff. when he said he wanted to end his life after he lost those fingers and a year later, a prosthesis and he's working. >> that is all for "early start." i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin." starting point" with soledad o'brien starts right now. >> good morning. welcome, everybody. the starting point this morning, behind closed doors, president owe became gentleman and house speaker boehner meet in a surprise closed door session trying to hammer out a fiscal cliff deal. what makes a person black? my new documentary sparks conversation about the color of your skin and how it defines who you are. who is black in america? you may start feeling less pain at the pump. gas prices are crashing and how long will it last? just ahead. a mexican american singer, a superstar, dies in a plane crash. now her fans in mourning. we'll have details, straight

ahead. a packed two hours for you. new york mayor cory booker will join us. and poet journalist, angela davis will join us as well. gold medal olympic gymnast gabby douglas has written a new book. and judy chu is with us, and the macks join us, and singer adam lambert. monday, december 10th. and "starting point" begins right now. wow, that's an ominous little graphic right there. yes that is because the fiscal cliff is what we're talking about this morning. that's the starting point. president obama and the house speaker speaking face to face for the first time in more than three weeks. the two men who stand between

millions of americans and the fiscal cliff sat down, had a conversation. a critical development 22 days away from the cliff, which means severe tax hikes and spending cuts unless the two can find a way to compromise. nobody is saying much. but spokesperson says the lines of communication remain open erskin bowles said this. >> you know, they have started to tango now and any time have you two guys in there tangoing, have you a chance to get it done. >> our white house correspondent, brianna keilar, live in washington, d.c. this morning. it doesn't sound like very much. but i guess we're making a lot out of it, a first step. any indication where it goes next? >> we don't know where it goes next. they are saying the lines of communication are open. we're expecting the white house and the speaker's office, they are going to continue talking.

we don't know when the meeting, the next meeting will be between president obama and the speaker this is something certainly promising, because they haven't spoken in person for a few weeks. haven't spoken one-on-one since the election, so this is something that could be promising, but house republicans are still publicly saying they don't want to capitulate to the white house's demand that income tax rates for the wealthiest americans increase. that said, listen to what i agree ing number of republicans, including senator bob kocorker e saying. >> a growing group of folks are looking at this and realizing we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory and i actually think it has merit. you go in and give the president the 2% increase that it's talking about. the rate increase on the top 2%. and all of a sudden, the shift goes back to entitlements.

>> now, it seems soledad, that the growing talk here is among row public i had c republicans saying budge on giving the rate increase to the top 2%, the wealthiest americans. maybe not go up as much as the white house wants, but give them the increase so we can move on to entitlements, talk about social security and medicare. that is a senator, and president obama's major obstacle is dealing with house republicans. >> if they do nothing, everybody's rates go up anyway. >> that's exactly right and there is growing international pressure. we heard from the head of the imf saying, if you go this route no, growth in the u.s., there is starting to be pressure not from within the u.s., but from outsides. and the president heads to michigan today trying to put pressure from inside the u.s. as

he tries to raise awareness of and really push republicans from outside washington to increase tax rates. >> brianna keilar, thank you, brianna. >> we'll talk with newark mayor cory booker about the cliff negotiations. authorities in mexico have found the wreckage of a small plane they believe was carrying popular american banda singer jenni rivera. no survivors on the plane crash. they took off from monterrey, mexico and were heading to an airport near mexico city. the wreckage is in nuevo leon. more from rafael romo. >> jenni rivera won two billboard music awards and sold more than 50 million records in a career that spanned just over a decade. not only that, she was also an

incredible businesswoman. she owned a company that created and marketed her own music. a fragrance, jeans factory and also a -- a company that manufactured and sold some of her products some of she's very well known by mexican americans in the united states and just as popular in mexico. and you can imagine this morning, soledad, many are mourning her loss. >> so true. the kind of music she sings, it's called banda music what is that? >> it's a regional mexican music, heavy on brass. talks about the life of common, regular people. and it was appealing to mexican immigrants, especially in the state of california where she was born, soledad. so incredibly popular and she was known as the diva of banda. she popularized that genre of mexican music. >> sad story. thank you, rafael. appreciate it. john berman back from vacay.

welcome back. >> great to be back. we may learn as early as today, the identity of an elite navy s.e.a.l. rescuing an american doctor held hostage in afghanistan. we know the s.e.a.l. was a member of s.e.a.l. team 6, the same group that took down osama bin laden. we don't know if he was part of that raid. dr. dilip joseph's family issued a statement offering thanks and condolences. the radio show that pulled a prank where kathryn the dutches of cambridge was a patient was shut down. they are stunned by the nurse's death. >> there isn't a minute that goes by that we don't think about her family and what they are going through and the thought we may have played a part in that is gut wrenching.

>> jacintha saldanha was duped into believing that the queen was on the phone to speak to the duchess. the duke and duchess are deeply saddened about saldanha's death. josh brent free on $500,000 bond. he was driving drunk when his mercedes flipped and caught fire on early sunday morning. jerry brown jr. died in that crash. and his teammates were playing in cincinnati, where the cowboys pulled off an emotional victory over the cincinnati bengals. right to work opponents, expected to start converging on michigan's capital today. the protest is expected to swell to thousands tomorrow when the senate's house and senate are trying to hammer out an agreement to make them the 24th right to work state. we have more from the capital. >> good morning, john.

all quiet at the michigan state c capitol behind me. governor rick sniyder expected o sign this bill tomorrow, you can expect thousands of protesters between now and team it would ban contracts that require workers to join a union. to pay union dues. those in favor of the bill say what it would do is help the economy by saving jobs, bringing more work to michigan. even raising salaries by not forcing union dues on workers. those against the bill say that those benefits that they have now, those jobs that they have now, could take a major hit. obviously, huge political implications and we'll be watching to see how the action unfolds. >> allison kosik in lansing, michigan. where we expect huge protests over the next few days. else where after taking a lot of heat for a hateful rap against u.s. soldiers, psy with

the hit gangam style was spotted shaking hands with president obama over the weekend. psy performed at an event, and he apologized for the concert where he rapped with slowly and painfully killing u.s. military members and their families. a decade later he's a star and people are going through all that video. >> the lyrics on that, interesting. still ahead on "starting point," governor chris christie could have a challenger when his term is up. we'll talk about cory booker about the growing buzz surrounding his political future and she is america's golden girl. gabby douglas will join us later this hour. will tell us how she almost quit right before the olympics. frustrated. wanted to give up her sport and go work at chick-fil-a. hopefully she'll bring her mom

in. her mom has been a big help in her life. we'll talk about that. businesswise, what's happening? >> fedex trucks will fill the streets today. the biggest shipping day when they will get your gifts, so many of them, this will be a record day for them. will you get your gifts on time? you will if you are shipping by today. you are watching "starting point." yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. it's lots of things. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide,

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good morning. welcome back to "starting point" fedex bracing for its busiest day ever. it will handle more than 200 packages per second. the reason? internet sales are booming and driving holiday shipping volume up by 10% over last year. gas prices tumbled 46 cents over the past two months according to the lundberg survey. refining problems being resolved at the same time seasonal demand

is shrinking. the national average price for of regular, $3.34. u.s. stock markets down after closing mixed on friday. european stocks down after supermario monte announced an early resignation and japan is in a recession. dour moods around the world this morning. >> i know that will affect us early. christine, thank you. 22 days until we fall over the fiscal cliff. some people have described it more as a gentle slide. there are reports of progress that might avoid disaster, the white house confirms that the speaker, john boehner and president obama met at the white house yesterday. both released statements basically they wouldn't say anything, but that "the lines of communication remain open." can we hope for a deal any time soon? cory booker, the mayor of newark, new jersey. nice to have you with us. >> very nice to be here.

>> not part of the fiscal cliff discussions, apparently downo the two of them. what happens to your city if we go over the fiscal cliff? >> it's a real challenge for people all over my state, frankly. a lot of families in this tough economic time, seeing them having $2,000 or more on average of expenses of not enjoying tax cuts, will make a real impact. people barely making mortgage payments, falling behind on car payments this will be a difficult thing. and that will have a multiplier affect. people who don't have extra money to spend hurt the stores that that would be shopping in, the food they would be buying, so on, so forth this is a time we can't have a government that is especially republicans, holding hostage all of this country. 98% of our country. >> a negotiation. so i wouldn't -- i get are you a democrat. so you will blame it on republicans. >> democrat, republican, we saw

the last time what happened we had a conflict like this around the debt ceiling debate. the debate ground on and consumer confidence dipped, the economy was hurt. credit downgraded. >> how likely it is we will have a deal? >> i am really hoping after seeing what happened last time, i really hope we learned a lesson from this. washington's inaction, people holding folks hostage over issues to me that are -- that are -- we should be debating about, extending tax cuts for 98% of americans will really hurt people. and these aren't folks making 250, half a million a year this will really hurt their families. >> bob kosher said this over the weekend. seems like he is ready to acquiesce a little bit. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing that we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory and it has merit.

where you go and get the president the 2% increase. a much less of a tax increase than he's been talking about the focus then shifts to entitlements and that maybe puts us in a place where we can actually do something that really saves this nation. >> he is a republican, laying out, listen, we could do a deal on the tack thing, we don't have a lot of leverage. but the worry is, what about the entitlements, spending, that's what they are concerned about. what spending cuts do democrats need to put on the table that actually make a difference? >> you are absolutely right. it's good to see many republicans going back now on pledges that they made often decades ago. this is ridiculous. we won't get out of this only by spending cuts. there has to be a balanced approach to how we're doing it it will have to be a balance between raising revenue and a balance between making cuts. simply that. this is something congress will work out.

i wish that many more americans actually had seats at the table. but we know this. social security, they have to do a balance sheet analysis. we can't spend more money than you are taking in. some entitlements, we have to make ways to make them solvent and strong again. >> timothy geithner said farm bill subsidies are on the table. if, in fact that is on the table, the bulk of your food stamps program is under the umbrella of the farm bill. in fact, it's almost 70% of the farm bill. which is kind of interesting, right? brings us back to what your experiment wasory t ory ver the challenge, living off food stamps. >> look at the president's plan, a very balanced approach, calls for infrastructure investment that will give us long-term economic return. if you think you will solve our problem -- if we wanted to go on a diet and we do it by cutting out a pound of flesh it will hurt the body as a hole. so food stamps an area you get a long-term economic benefit.

especially if you think of the children, the families who have children, a large pestage of people receiving so-called food stamps in the snap challenge. giving them a chance to go to school with a nutritionally good foundation is a challenge. two bills. one that makes cuts in the senate. very difficult, very challenging. you have senators like senator stabenow saying we'll do innovative things, with access like to fresh and healthy foods. we want to protect recipients. and the president is saying he won't make cuts with the house bill. the house bill makes deep cuts, hurting the 46 million american who's are receiving this benefit right now. i can tell you from very personal experience, ain't that much money. >> did you it for a week, a suppleme

supplement. veterans are on the snap program, even a small percentage of military families are on snap. they rely heavily on it. a large pestarcentage of americ who rely on snap, it pulls them above the poverty line. >> are you going to run for governor? >> that was a magic johnson. a no-look pass. a great move. you know this is the next week to two weeks. -- >> polling shows christie way ahead. >> the polling showed george bush way ahead. you look at head-to-head matches, doesn't put him that far over 50%. so we think that any democrat -- christie is vulnerable. a lot of issues on the state he's not falling in line. from women's issues, environmental issues, a balanced

way. i will consider united states senate as well. i am trying to make the decision based on where i can make the most difference in the city i love and the state i love and the nation i pledged my life to. >> that was a long maybe. >> you are too good of a friend for me -- i'm not going to give you political -- now we're politicians. >> words, words, words, words, maybe. all right. i know you will let me know. >> i will definitely let you know. >> we have to take a break. still ahead, how about hillary clinton? will they run for the white house in four years? never too early to hop on a story i say. they will be formidable if she does, even republicans say that. newt gingrich said that. back in a moment. any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen.

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welcome back, everybody. joseph crowley, representing bronx and queens and margaret-er is back, big crush of my son jackson who is in love with her. and ron brownstein of the national journal. not a big crush of jackson on you. sorry. >> that's all right. and hillary clinton, a formidable candidate. gingrich on "meet the press" said the gop wouldn't be able to compete if she was the nominee. here's what he said. >> if their competitor in '16 is hillary clinton, supported by bill clinton and presumably still relatively popular president barack obama, trying to win that will truly be the super bowl and the republican

party today is incapable of competing at that level. >> that's a strong statement, but not entirely inaccurate. she will be a formidable candidate if the economy is improving and they get a budget deal. look, three times in a row, very rare, george bush, ronald reagan, last time it happened. nothing is given, but given the demog r demography, her appeal would be formidable. >> the republican party in four years, hopefully more competitive. governors getting their sfripz. marco rubbo and paul ryan, reframing the republican party. is it possible there could be a new republican party in four years? i certainly hope so. we'll see. >> i have been waiting for this all along. newt gingrich, saying hillary clinton formidable. my god.

>> i believe hell has frozen over and cats and dogs now getting together. >> i want hillary to run. i'm excited. >> still ahead, on "starting point" we'll talk about my documentary that aired last night. what it means to be black in america. my new doc looked at racial identity. the controversial and complicated conversations around that. coming up next. president obama, john boehner, if they reach a deal on the fiscal cliff, maybe it has nothing to do with politics. according to "snl," the president feels really, really bad for the speaker. a clip of that, pretty funny. straight ahead. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus presents the cold truth.

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hugo chavez is heading to cuba for his third cancer treatment. patrick opman is in havana this morning. tell us about the timetable for the surgery. any details we now know. good morning. we know hugo chavez left venezuela a little after 1:00 a.m. local time. and he would undergo surgery almost immediately when he arrived in havana. we're awaiting word if the surgery has begun. how long it will take. those kinds of details. these are details sometimes hard to get, because venezuelan leader has been tightlipped as he battles cancer. he is literally fighting for her life. nicholas monduro would take up the mantel if chavez was not able to stay in office. he would be the successor.

but hugo chavez, very interesting talk about the pain he's feeling, physical discomfort. talked about how this has not gone the way he had hoped it would. he has had a number of setbacks, but, soledad, he says his life is in the hands of god and his medical team in cuba. >> he would be right. patrick oppman. hands of god and the medical team. other stories making news. the north koreans holding off launching a long-range rocket for now, but extending a long-range launch window over technical problems. a 13-day window was announced for a possible launch. now it's a 20-day window that closes december 29th according to state run news. north korea claims it's a peaceful bid to advance their space program. but the u.s. is threatening sanctions if the launch takes place and views it more sinister. seattle's city hall, 133

same-sex couples tied the knot in the day gay marriage went into effect. the first same-sex couple made it official 12:04 sunday morning. the couples were among the first to pick up marriage licenses last thursday. there was a mandatory three-day waiting period before they could actually tie the knot. "saturday night live" tackling the fiscal cliff. president obama with a message to republicans, quit bullying bayne boehner. >> simply put, i felt sorry for this man. earlier this week, i found my way into the congressional cafeteria. what do i see? john boehner sitting by himself. all alone. not a single member of his party willing to share his company. he didn't even have any milk to drink because -- well, tell them why, john. >> they had taken my milk and thrown it in the garbage. >> they took it and threw it in

the garbage. >> that's jay ferrell as president obama. he is so good at this. candy crowley actually thought that was president obama. >> he is so good at his delivery. let's talk about our documentary that aired last night. fifth installment of the "black in america" series. we asked the question who is black in america? it unravels the complicated, densely packed issue of racial identity in in country. here is a clip. you must have been told, well, you're not really black like 100 million zillion times. >> you know, i love that conversation. >> you do? you love that conversation. why? i hate that conversation. >> it is fascinating to me. it is fascinating. >> so what do you check when you have to fill out a form, like a census? >> i say black now. but as long as i check other. i never checked white.

i'm not white. america lets you know real fast you're not white. >> why do so many black people, me included, embrace the one-drop rule when it literally has its roots in terrible things? >> i think the one-drop rule, in as much as it was oppressive, protected us, gave us an identity. >> we'll continue the conversation with perry and vision, a poet and teacher, and professor yaba delay of the one drop project and a producer on our documentary. why do you think this touches such a nerve? all you do is sit for a moment on my twitter feed timeline, and people were angry, freaked out. emotional about this. why? >> it touches on our lived experience. you know, i don't know that i'm biased, but of all of the black in americaitierations, this is

one that everyone can relate to, whether it's them personally, as a mother, father, grandmother. all of the feedback i was getting online, included a personal testimony. how this reminds me of my grandmother, this reminds me of this, i have a story, and i think it's one of those things that people tap into on a personal level, and it's -- there is an emotion there. >> the documentary focused on two young poets in your class. you mentor both of them. how unusual were their story? they grapple with racial identity. you picked two people who were the dysfunctional ones. is that -- is that the case? or is their quest typical? >> i don't think it's dysfunctional. i think what they are doing is very normal for teenagers just brave enough to throw it out there, let the world know this is who i am, how i feel. you heard this a lot during workshops. folks look at that's a young

black man or young black woman, were not wanting to identify with race at all. i'm a man, woman, i'm human. >> on twitter, who knows who many is. co co real progress would be when we just talk about we're americans. >> acting like it doesn't exist doesn't heal and this incredibly emotional response as yaba said. america as a family this is our taboo issue. this brings up so much -- triggers a lot of black girl pain. a lot of secrets and bias. emotional things in life. any family -- when we go into our history and say this horrible thing created this characteristics, people don't like to look at it. this is the road to healing. the only way we'll feel hole, we talk about where we're fractured. >> our token white man on the

panel this morning, john berman. in all seriousness. >> i am white, all seriousness. >> this conversation, was it one that you were ever aware of? >> i was just thinking what makes this so interesting, the minute you put a question mark on it, it makes everyone ask a question of themselves and the question i ask myself, fundamentally different i am sure than the question you ask. no, i don't think i know what color is when you ask about that. a lot i don't know and a lot of questions that you have to ask yourself. >> the most painful thing for me. seeing the clip of lashante, 7-year-old girl. it was heartbreaking as she walks with her mom. let's see if we have that. >> i think my skin is ugly. >> why do you think it's ugly? >> because i don't want to be dark. >> you don't want to be dark? >> no, i want to be light

skinned. >> why? >> because light skinned is pretty. >> that's brutal. just brutal. >> every time i see that clip, i tear up. >> i was watching your face while you watched it. >> i was that little girl. i was lashante. i may not have put words to it, but you are very aware who is privileged who is seen as beautiful. which little girls are on tv with the curls in her hair. she knows from a lived experience that's not her. but later in the clip, lashante says i want to be light like you, and if you look at her mother, she's not light skinned, but the pain of being dark skinned, you will take an incremental step lighter and think that will improve your life. >> what is the solution. one of the things i am disappointed in this documentary, we didn't have time and it's not our job, we don't

lay out solutions. what are the fixes? >> having this conversation, this is the solution. it's not that it's done after this. but the fact that that little girl so matter of factually articulated it. when i was her age, i wanted to be dark skinned. i didn't say that to anyone. i used to dream about it. like if i could wake up and look like that chocolate girl with that hair that looks like patent leather, that was what was beautiful in my neighborhood. but we didn't talk about it. so this is the -- soledad, are you in the solution. we're in it right now. >> you make me feel better. >> that clip, that's tough. this is going to be a project for you. you are turning this into a book full of memoirs, called the one-drop project. when that book comes out, we'd like to have you come back to talk about it. >> absolutely. >> i'm booking you now. and a poet in philadelphia, nice to have up michaela angela davis, nice to have you with us. we appreciate it. thanks, guys, and thanks for the

year of work on the doc. who is black in america, it will reair, if you missed it, will reair on saturday 8:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. ahead, a new mtv show sparking lots of controversy, about teenagers in west virginia, the state's governor is fired up about it, and not in a good way. we'll talk about that. and gabrielle douglas won hearts of america at the london olympics. rio 2016? we'll talk about that, and a new book out, we'll talk about that too. back in a moment. a hybrid? most are just no fun to drive. now, here's one that will make you feel alive. meet the five-passenger ford c-max hybrid. c-max says ha. c-max says wheeee.

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welcome back. mtv is under fire for a show

that it has selected to replace "jersey shore" first episode has not even aired yet. it's called "buck wild." former governor of west virginia is going out on a limb when he's concerned about what's going to be on it. he's demanded the network cancel it. the reality show based in west virginia, the senator's home and writes this. "instead of showcasing the beauty of our state, you preyed on young people, coaxed them into shameful behavior, and now are you profiting from it. that is just wrong." >> well, you know, mtv is under fire should be one button on the computer. look, when they come and they come to your -- i think, look, he's exactly right. in all likelihood about what this is going to be like. >> it's terrible, it's raucous, raunchy, the senator hates it. >> look at it, it's "jersey shore" for west virginia.

chris christie famously spoke out about rescinding the snooki tax break. but if you go to folks in new jersey on the shore and ask them, has this really hurt your local economy? they say no. you talk to the bar owners down in seaside, new jersey. they love the new business they have gotten. >> i think there is some aspect about that this is very true. joe manchin, you represent the state of west virginia this is not the mablg you want. the lack of creacreat creativei. >> coaxing them into the behavior. are you really doing a reality show or creating the reality that are you then filming in all of these shows? >> it goes back to the john denver song, "take me home country roads." maybe west virginia isn't all that. that song wasn't about west

virginia, it was about virginia. >> early criticism helped shape the way the show ends up going. >> happy ending? "buck wild?" . >> first of all, if they are calling it "buck wild," it will be bad for state of west virginia. still ahead, instead of winning an olympic gold medal. gabby douglas was almost a server at chick-fil-a. why she almost quit and who convinced her to stay the course. we'll talk to her in a moment. capella university understands businesses are trying to come back from rough economic times. employees are being forced to do more with less. and the need for capable leaders is greater than ever. when you see these problems do you take a step back, or do you want to dive right in? with a degree in business from capella university, you'll have

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as it gets to work. ♪ cisco. tomorrow starts here. in the london olympics this summer, gabrielle douglas made history. she became the first american gymnast to win a team and an individual gold medal in the same olympics. she's written about a book about

her incredible journey to the olympic podium. it's called "grace, gold, and glory." gabrielle douglas is with us. nice to have you back. in the run up to the olympics, we saw the profiles of all the olympians, then in the book i read there was a point where you were about to quit and go work at chick-fil-a close to the olympics. what happened and why did you decide not to quit? >> i wanted to quit right before the olympic games, and i wanted to work at chick-fil-a and go into other sports like track and field. i was very home sick. my family came toowa to celebrate christmas with me, and before i know it, afs all said and done. it went by so fast. they were ready to pack up and go to virginia, and i wanted to go with them all because i was very home sick and wanted to go home because i missed it so bad. >> you were living with a host family. that's why your family would occasionally come in. your coach was in iowa, and your host family lived there, and

they took you in with other little kids. your brother talked you out of going to a career at chick-fil-a and focusing in on your olympic dreams instead. what did he say to you? >> he was the one that talked to me. we relate because we're so close in age. we've always been two peas in a pod ever since we were little. he told me to keep going and push yourself and put your body on the line. he's an athlete too. so we can relate to each other. >> i love your book. >> thank you. >> it's not that much about gymnastics really. but it's a lot about your mom and her faith and how that got you through. your family was homeless. you've had very tough financial times. you've been through a lot. what do you think has been the thing that's gotten you through ultimately. >> i think the thing that's gotten me through was my mom. she's a fighter. she sacrificed pretty much everything for me to accomplish my dreams. she's always been there for me. my faith plays a big role in my life. it helps me overcome obstacles. >> you tweet about it a lot. >> i tweet about it a lot.

i don't know where i'd be without it today. >> you talk about bullying at a gym called excalibur. am i getting the name wrong? i think that one. and you said there's kids who said gabby's our slave and other sort of racial comments, i guess i would say. and people say, you never talked about them before. why are you complaining about them now. do you feel like you're under the microscope now, or do you feel -- how does it feel to be? you got your gold medals. you're world famous. you can't go anywhere with everyone like this on you. you're 16, 17 years old. >> almost 17. i mean, if i learned something, i'm going to share it. it's part of me just telling my story and relating to other girls. just relating to -- about the dad and about my experience being homeless, our financial problems. i feel like i need to share it with everyone so i can kind of relate and just to speak up if you're being bullied and if you feel that way.

no one likes to be made fun of or joked about. if you feel like that way, then you need to speak up. you don't take it too far because you want to speak up and you want to tell an adult and know that they know best for you. >> what's the level of -- give us a sense of the level of commitment the year before the olympics, the last year. how many days a week, how many hours a day are you practicing? >> i was practicing about four hours monday, wednesday, friday. and 5 1/2 tuesday, thursday, saturday. >> wow, slacker. >> what's your regimen like now? what do you do in terms of working out? >> not the gymnastics side of working out. i've been traveling and doing media and appearances. i've been working out and keeping myself in shape. >> can you tell me one thing? during the olympics, you had such incredible performances, and there was a point in the olympics where you actually got criticism for your appearance rather than your performances. how did that make you feel? >> well, i didn't really know until after, like the all around finals, when they call gabrielle douglas.

ooh, what's going to pop up? gabrielle douglas' hair. i click on it. there's a whole back and forth argument about my hair, like half bun, half ponytail. i'm going to click on something else because there's no need for me to delve in the negative. >> if you listen to social media, you can really lose your mind. trust me, i know that too. you want to be an actor when you grow up? >> i do. >> i'm so excited for you. when you're a star, will you come back and talk to us about your new role? >> i would love that. >> see that, everybody. commitment already. the book is called "grace and gold." she brought her gold medals to see. can i see this one? i won't touch it. >> you heard the oil from the hands is bad for touching it. >> buzz it look like i'm wearing it? >> looking good. >> gabrielle douglas, congratulations on your new book. i'm going to give this to my daughters. i think you're a huge role model. >> and for bringing your gold medals in and your mom, who we love. we're going to take a break and talk about the meeting between

president obama and house speaker john boehner. finally they get face to face to talk about the fiscal cliff. what they're saying after the unscheduled meeting at the white house. and the divas back this weekend on vh-1. adam lambert is hosting. we'll be joined by mr. lambert straight ahead. you're watching "starting point." we're back in just a moment. [ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ breathes deeply ] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] yes, it is. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank.

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welcome, everybody. our starting point this morning, meeting face to face. finally, president obama goes behind closed doors with house speaker john boehner. they're trying to hash out a deal before we go over the fiscal cliff. can they come to an agreement? those australian deejays who pranked the hospital where du h duchess katherine was staying apparently speaking out after the nurse tried to commit suicide after she took the call.

and tuition based on your major. one state is considering doing just that, but is it fair. a navy s.e.a.l. dies while helping rescue an american doctor held hostage by kidnappers. details on this gripping rescue straight ahead. and california congresswoman judy chu will join us. congress people connie mack and mary mack, politics to the macks, get it? and adam lambert. all starting right now. you can come in, john. you just have to dance in. we've got the music going. our panelists this morning, congressman joseph crowley is with us. he's a democrat from the great state of new york. margaret hoover is with us, cnn political contributor. ron brownstein is the editorial director of "the national journal." john berman has made his way to

his seat. >> no music. >> that's your music. i heard you singing it earlier. you don't like adam lambert, his new theme song? i kind of like that. our starting point is the president and the house speaker finally getting face to face to discuss the fiscal cliff. until yesterday's unscheduled meeting at the white house, john boehner and president obama had gone 23 days without sitting down to discuss the fiscal cliff. it's a significant development because in 22 days we go off over the cliff although some people have described it as a gentle slide down a little slippy mountain. but that would be a time when we face severe tax hikes and severe spending cuts unless a compromise can be reached. congress is scheduled to take a break for the holidays later this week. after speaking at the white house, the president said, "the lines of communication remain open," which isn't saying much really. dan lothian is at the white house. dan, what does that mean? the lines of communication remain open, that sounds like something. >> reporter: it was about a week

ago when aides up on the hill were telling us that nothing was happening behind the scenes, that no one was talking. you could say this was some progress because the lines of communication are open. i've been communicating this morning with a senior administration official here to get a sense of whether or not that will continue, whether they will either meet face to face again or whether they will have some kind of discussion over the phone, and i was told by this official that they would not be previewing anything. i also tried to get more information about this meeting and asked whether we would hear more later in the day and was told highly unlikely that will happen. nonetheless, one of the things that we have noticed is both the president and speaker boehner are on the same page when it comes to the press releases that they put out. we have never really seen this, where the white house and speaker boehner put out identical releases. essentially very short, where they said that they met at the white house, discussed the fiscal cliff, they're not going to read out any of the details of the conversation.

and then as you pointed out, "the lines of communication remain open." so, again, some people see this as positive. one other positive indicator is some republicans are starting to warm up to this idea of raising tax rates for upper income americans. one of those lawmakers, senator corker of tennessee. take a listen to what he had to say about that. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing that we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory -- and i actually think it has merit -- where you go ahead and give the president the 2% increase he's talking about, the rate increase on the top 2%, and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> reporter: so, again, they think that democrats and the president need to embrace entitlements, but some indication there could be compromise. keep in mind, senator corker, he's a senator. the problem really is with house republicans. so we will be watching today if any of those house republicans will be warming up to this idea

as well, soledad. >> dan lothian for us. that's unusual. identical releases. that gives me hope because it means they're on the same page, even if it's on the same page in telling the american people nothing. >> i don't think those releases said much at all, quite frankly. which is a good sign. it means they're under a mutual agreement not to talk about this until they work things out. >> given their history of cooperation, which has been pretty bad, the president and john boehner together, this gives me -- i want to be careful, but cautious optimism. >> they came within range of a deal in the summer of 2011, a big budget deal, that there is a deal to be had. the real question is whether you could do it before or after the tax cuts expire. >> the deal is going to be between these two people. >> yes. >> or between this congress and the new congress. >> and corker said they have limited cards. they have no cards on the rate. the rate is going up at the end of the year, and that's the reality. >> and the acquiescing is connected to that reality very much. judy chu is a congress woman

from california, a chair of the asian american caucus, a member of the small business committee. it's nice to have you with us. what do you think the lines of communication remain open, which sounds like a whole lot of nothing. what do you think that means specifically? does that mean we're close to a deal? >> well, i was encouraged to see the meeting between speaker boehner and president obama. i really feel a deal has to be made. look, by the end of the year, either republicans have to come together with democrats and have a deal, or else the tax cuts expire. who doesn't believe that on january 3rd republicans would not come back and extend the tax increases that would affect 98% of americans in this country. >> so "the wall street journal" has an editorial. i think it's kind of an sprg interesting editorial, and i'll read a chunk of it. "it's a shame that republicans are playing into mr. obama's

hands. mr. obama isn't going to blink on the budget if he thinks republicans are going to blink first. so far, the emerging gop position seems to be to surrender on taxes first and hope that mr. obama will have mercy on them later on entitlements. but what is the evidence in the last four years or even since the election that mr. obama won't pocket that victory and then refuse to offer any but token changes on entitlements." >> that's a reversal of what they wrote a few weeks ago where republicans will take the victory in keeping them from going up. >> but if you take this deal now -- that's been the hesitation. the problem is you have no leverage. if you take the deal now, you really lose everything in being able to negotiate about spending cuts, right? >> well, i think that a deal is to be made that would benefit the people if it were done earlier. and the incentive is knowing that the scenario that the "the wall street journal" put forth

could take place. we need a discussion right now, and we need to have a discussion where we could have sensible solutions with regard to the safe any net programs as well as the tax cuts. >> what's on the table for the democrats? >> i think what judy is saying is very true. we're going to get to this point anyway. it's just a question of when and how much damage will be done between now and then. if we wait until next year. what impact will that have on the markets? what impact will that have on the economy overall? and really, quite frankly, if these tax cuts expire for everyone, it means the middle class will see an enormous tax increase upwards of $2,200 per family on average. that's unacceptable either. my sense is that, having been around for 14 years, we will get to some point of an agreement. the real will be whether john boehner will rely on democratic votes to get this passed. >> i guess the question is -- and everybody would agree on the tax thing. taxing the middle class, there's nobody standing up and saying,

yes, taxes should go up on the middle class. let's put that in one category. the next category, which "the wall street journal" points out, is the spending issue. what gets cut? if we have a spending deficit of $1.3 trillions. we're over on our budget $1.3 trillion. what aggressively will democrats bring to the table for cuts realistically once the tax issue is passed? >> well, i can think of something that should have been done a while ago, which is that there should be a change to medicare in any we can actually negotiate for drug prices. after all, we do it for medicaid. why can't we do it for medicare? that would be a big savings to the medicare program. >> big savings to that program, not a ton of money, though, to knock down your $1.3 trillion debt. margaret? >> helpful you're hearing democrats talk about are there ways of adjusting these entitlement programs? you're talking about medicare eligibility, negotiating with drug companies. that's honestly going to come up

either now or later. either in the debt ceiling negotiations in february or now. better to take care of it now rather than have another fight when you're trying to do immigration. >> congresswoman judy chu, my apologies. nice to have you with us. we always appreciate when you come to talk with us. thank you. >> thank you. >> at the bottom of the hour, we'll talk to republican congress members, connie and mary bono mack, politics to the macks, get it? we may learn as early as today the identity of the elite navy s.e.a.l. who died rescuing an american doctor abducted and held hostage in afghanistan. we do know he was a member of s.e.a.l. team 6. that's the same group that took down osama bin laden. we do not know if he was part of that raid. pentagon correspondent barbara starr will have the latest on this story in the next half hour. fans of bonda music are mourning the death of

mexican-american superstar jenni rivera. her plane crashed en route to mexico city. singer gloria he is at t estefa twitter. kwp our deepest sympathy to the family and fans of jenni rivera and those that accompanied her on what was to be her last voyage. rest in peace." in announcing the nobel peace prize, the nobel committee credited eu leaders turning them into political and economic partners. i don't believe that's eu leaders singing right now. or else they'd be up for all kinds of awards. i do believe that's the ceremony where they're getting the award. a powerful winter storm packing high winds and heavy snow is pounding the upper midwest and northern plains this morning. the worst of it is hitting eastern south dakota and southern minnesota. they are getting up to 16 inches of snow in the hardest hit areas. dozens of flights have been cancelled, and people being urged to stay off the roads. probably a good idea.

after taking a lot of heat for a hateful rap against u.s. soldiers, the pop star psy, you know him as the star of gangnam style, you know him from youtube, he was spotted shaking hands with president obama over the weekend to perform at a white house christmas charity this weekend. psn apologized after a video surfaced of him taking part in a protest concert against the u.s. after that concert, he rapped about slowly and painfully killing u.s. military members and their families. again, that was a protest concert a decade ago in korea. >> surprising, huh? >> if you had to pick a year to give the nobel peace prize to the eu, would you pick this year? >> this would not be the year. >> has this been their finest hour? they've had great moments. the past year has not been the best. >> wait until next year. not this year, i agree. still ahead on "starting point," it took seven years to build up scholars academy and only minutes for superstorm

sandy to destroy it. we'll take a look at a school trying to recover and rebuild. so, this board gives me rates for progressive direct and other car insurance companies? yes. but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here.

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welcome back, everybody. last week poppy harlow was with us to tell us the story of ryan panetta. eighth grade student who lost his school. he went to a school called scholar's academy 56 in new york. still closed because of the

damage to superstorm sandy. poppy harlow has his story. take a look. >> reporter: you can still smell the destruction sandy wrought at scholar's academy. >> you still get the fish tank smell in here. >> reporter: the new york public school is wedged between the atlantic ocean, jamaica bay, and a sewage treatment plant. >> you start to see water first come under the door. >> reporter: when sandy hit, it all gushed in. surveillance cameras caught the ocean pouring into the basement and climbing the stairs of principal brian o'connell's beloved school. >> about a half foot of sewage and water throughout the first floor of the building, which houses eighth grade class many r rooms, art rooms, technology rooms. >> reporter: devastated in minutes. he had spent seven years converting a low performing school into this "a" rated academy. >> this used to be our band room. >> reporter: if you look down here, you're already seeing mold growing. scholar's is one of hundreds of

new york schools damaged by superstorm sandy. gone are the plays in this auditorium. ♪ >> this is our grand piano, or was our grand piano. these were brand new curtains that we fought for years to get. they're still wet. >> reporter: the sea wolves marching band and the winning teams silent for now. the instruments and uniforms flooded in sewage. the gym now a construction zone. >> hey, guys, thank you for your hard work. >> reporter: this school's 1,100 students are being bussed to temporary schools like ps-13. >> we have students on the stage. they have the conference rooms, everything. we're using every single space in the room. we had little nooks. they're in nooks everywhere. >> reporter: honor student ryan panetta lost his home to sandy and his school. he told us what scholars' means to him. >> it was just fun to be there. like made kids actually like want to learn.

>> reporter: fred is working to fix the school where his father worked and where he studied. he dreams his son will go there one day too. >> it's the best high school on the peninsula. they have to have it for the kids. >> reporter: that's exactly the kind of place o'connell hopes to rebuild. >> we keep saying scholars' strong and rockaway resilient. it's starting to sound cliche we're using it to so much. that's the reality >> they're so on task, so attentive, so kind, and they're being patient. >> reporter: these are resilient kids. 50% of the kids at the school lost their home or had their home damaged due to sandy. 30% of the teachers there also had damage to their home from the storm. they're estimating the repairs will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000. what really troubles me is that, when we were there, we found out this school was also looted. so after the storm, ipads, i macs, all these things they built up were also taken. a lot of people asking how they can help the panetta family or

the school. for the school, you can go to scholarsnyc.com/rebuild. and also for the panetta family, if you want to donate to them, you can go to cnn.com/impact. >> great stories. really heartbreaking. wonderful work. thanks. appreciate it. still ahead on "starting point," those radio deejays whose prank phone call seemed to spark international fury are now speaking out. do they deserve the global outrage they're getting in the wake of an apparent suicide?

welcome back. we start with our tough call. the aussie deejays that pulled the royal prank on the london hospital during the duchess of cambridge's stay are now talking. their show has been shut down after jacintha saldano, the nurse who transferred their call to the ward, apparently committed suicide. they never expected this outcome. >> there's not a minute that goes by that we don't think about her family and what they must be going through, and the thought we may have played a part in that is gut wrenching. >> so saldana, who had two kids, was duped into believing the queen was on the phone asking to speak to the duchess. the duke and duchess of cambridge are said to be deeply saddened about the nurse's death. i think there's a lot of questions in this that still need to be answered. >> mental illness is a very serious thing. when people take their own lives, it shows a degree of mental illness and instability.

it's one thing that may be the trigger, but it isn't the sole cause of the depression. these people made the call. clearly, it's not funny, and i agree with john berman, well, aussies aren't that funny anyway. >> you know my dad's australian, right? >> besides your father. >> in all seriousness, can you really lay the blame -- >> people don't always kill themselves because they have mental illness. people can be bullied into taking their own lives. we certainly see that in stories with young kids. >> they said on the tape they never expected the call to go through. they did air the tape. they did play it. they were not so horrified it went through that they kind of buried it in the drawer. >> i don't know if they were live or not during that time too. anything that relates to the royal family in some way or another tends to get blown up to begin with. in this particular case, it's a tragedy. we don't know what was going on in her life as well that this phone call triggered this response in some way. but the pressure, i think, of maybe in some way giving out

information about the royal family can be tremendous. >> she actually transferred the call that gave out the information. >> facilitated it in some way. >> i'm sure everybody knew ho that happened, and there was scrutiny. i just think there's so many questions. they're doing an autopsy, i think, as well. maybe we'll learn more. that was a sad story. she had a mom. she had a couple of kids. that's sad. still ahead on "starting point," president obama and speaker boehner meeting behind closed doors. they're trying to work out a deal on the fiscal cliff. does this mean they're going to be on the way? we'll talk to congress members connie and mary mack. they'll weigh in. and nasa finally explaining what those lights over texas were. is it worthy of the "x-files"? >> i love that reference. wind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference.

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welcome, everybody. you're watching "starting point." in just a few moments, we're going to be talking to florida congress woman mary mack, california congressman connie mack about the plans over the fiscal cliff and much more. first we want to update you on a story of s.e.a.l. team 6. a member was killed during a rescue mission, trying to free a doctor captured in afghanistan. barbara starr has more on the story. >> reporter: a risky mission to rescue an american doctor in afghanistan, dr. joseph is free, but one u.s. navy s.e.a.l. lost his life in this mission over the weekend. we don't know the man's name yet. it hasn't been publicly released. a member of s.e.a.l. team 6, known inside the navy as the war fare development group, the same unit that rescued osama bin laden. we don't know if he was on that mission. but dr. joseph's family issuing a statement saying, "we want to extend our deepest condolences

to the family of the american sailor who died during dilip's rescue. we could not be more grateful for that soldier's heroism and for the bravery of all involved in the mission to bring dilip home." a good moment to remember. 305 american service members so far this year have lost their lives in the war in afghanistan, and tragically in the last six weeks or so, three u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s, all in very different combat missions. >> what do we know about how he died? do we know any details? >> reporter: the navy is going to possibly release some of that information later today. one official telling me it was small arms fire, which suggests there was a fire fight to rescue this american citizen. hostage rescue missions the most dangerous work possibly and the most risky that special forces engage in. >> i can imagine. barbara starr at the pentagon this week. thank you, barbara. the north koreans are holding off launching a long

range rocket for now but extending a launch window -- they say this is over technical problems, that according to north korea state news. earlier this month, the north korean government announced a 13-day window for a possible launch. that window opened today. it is now a 20-day window that closes december 29th. north korea claims it's a peaceful bid to advance their space program, but as you can imagine, the u.s. views it as something more sinister and is threatening sanctions if this launch takes place. at least one top democrat isn't sweating ambassador susan rice's chances if she's nominated to be the next secretary of state. here's what senate majority whip dick durbin said on sunday's "meet the press." >> i think in the end some of the criticisms against her have been unwarranted, many have gone too far. there's a basic feeling of fairness. she's an extraordinary person. she's certainly well educated and has really served our nation well. >> rice has faced strong opposition from many republican lawmakers who have criticized her handling of the september attack on the u.s. mission in benghazi in libya, which killed

ambassador chris stevens and three other americans. encouraging developments in the fight against leukemia. this is p happening at the university of pennsylvania where doctors are using gene therapy to eradicate certain types of blood cancers. this is done using the patient's immune system t-cells to personalize treatments. in cases involving terminally ill patients, three of them are now free of the disease. the findings considered very preliminary are already being presented by penn's research team. secondary assault charges filed against two university of colorado boulder students accused of bringing marijuana laced brownies to class. five classmates and their unsuspecting professor were sickened when they ate the brownies. the two students are behind bars and facing possible jail time. last month colorado voters approved the recreational use and possession of small amounts of marijuana. so since friday morning, people in houston have been talking about a strange fireball seen streaking through the morning sky. was it falling space junction or

maybe a ufo? probably not. nasa's bill cook says it was a meteor, most likely a fragment from an asteroid belt. while cook says it was not associated with the geminid meteor showers, which are expected to peak on december 13th and 14th. as the x-files say, the trullingt truth is out there, soledad. >> and it's a meteor rushing toward earth. >> near earth. >> i feel better about that. we thought that politics would have ended maybe with the election season. no, that was not to be. we've got the looming fiscal cliff, unrest overseas in egypt and syria. lots to talk about with politics to the macks. get it? that's my new title. wrapping up their time in office is husband and wife team connie mack of california and representative mary mack of florida. senator bob corker on sunday seemed to be setting a conciliatory tone between republicans, saying, yes, maybe in fact these tax hikes for the wealthy will go through. let's play a little bit of what

he said first. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory -- and i actually think it has merit -- where you go ahead and give the president the 2% increase that he's talking about. it's actually much lesser tax increase than what he's been talking about. the focus then shifts to entitlements, and maybe that puts us in a place where we actually can do something that really saves this nation. >> so it sounds like maybe the tax cuts that we've been talking about. what do you think is going to happen here? >> i think stay tuned. i think day after day, you're going to see how the negotiations are going and how people are beginning to change their rhetoric. for a while now, i've said pretty much what he has said too, and what i said last week is that for political leaders who are leading the negotiations, they know that there is a hard deadline pretty much, if you will, and people

are going to start changing the rhetoric as time moves on and getting closer to the cliff or the deadline. i think you're going to see more and more people have the realistic approach to the answer. we probably disagree. >> finish up, honey. i'm going to completely contradict you. >> i sense that body language from afar. >> it's going to happen anyway, right? >> well, i mean, that's what -- i know that's what a lot of people say, but there are people like me who just don't believe that raising taxes is a good idea any time, that if you raise taxes, you're going to slow economic growth, and what we really need, if you want to grow this economy, if you want more dollars coming into the federal government, you do that by creating more taxpayers and creating more jobs and getting people back to work. >> there's a new poll out -- >> and real quick. i'm sorry. but nobody's asking the question about, or asking what are we going to cut? >> i have been asking that all day. >> she's been asking everybody. now you have to answer that. >> no one actually answers that. >> now you just have to try. >> thank you, dear.

well, i am the only one that has a plan in congress to balance the budget in five years. we take 1% of spending across the board. 1%. that's one penny out of everything. >> military? >> everything. >> food stamps? >> everything. 1% across the board. that's one penny out of every federal dollar. the bill says we leave it up to the congress to decide where those cuts come from, but if the government fails, if the congress and the president fail to act, then it's one penny out of every federal dollar. everybody is watching today has had to take more than one penny out of every dollar of their home budget, has had to take more than one penny out of every dollar of their business budget, and we're about to have to do more than that. >> the polling says -- this is a politico/george washington university poll. raising taxes on incomes over $250,000. 60% favor that. raising retirement age for social security. 64% oppose that. and the same poll, 75% of americans want across the board spending cuts, but they don't want cuts to individual entitlements.

it just seems to contradictory. if this is your household budget. >> it is, and this is where leadership comes in. this is where we need the president, we need speaker boehner to come together to provide leadership. leadership doesn't mean you're going to get 100% of the votes. leadership means that you take a position that you think is good for the country. you put it out there, and you try to get the votes for it. that's what we're waiting to see from the president and from speaker boehner. >> you're both leaving congress. you and i have spoken many times about prescription drug problems really, especially for families who suffer with abuse of prescription drugs. what do you do next? are you going to continue that work? >> you know i am, soledad. thank you for the question. when i lost my re-election, this is one of the issues that has sort of tugged at my heart that i don't want to be irrelevant on a very important fight that we're fighting in this country, and that is this epidemic of prescription drug abuse, most certainly in our youth. and there's not a family in america that hasn't been touched by this. as connie and i move to the few

too -- future, i really hope to stay involved on this front. be a member of congress and fighting that fight, but i'll be fighting that elsewhere in other ways. >> is that would be a great documentary. those are riveting stories. we've talked a lot about that. it's heartbreaking. what are you going to do? >> she's been a real leader on those issues, and it's exciting to see her continue that work. i don't know what i'm going to co. i spent the last eight years, the last six as the chairman of the western hemisphere subcommittee. so latin america is very important to me. i can see myself staying involved in the issues of latin america and how we bring strong democracies to latin america and continue to stand up against people like hugo chavez. >> do you guys have like relaxed thanksgiving/christmas dinners? your family runs the range politically. >> completely. we do actually. >> no politics. we don't talk politics. >> no. you get to a certain point, and then you talk about the weather. when you know that there's a point -- >> how about those giants? >> exactly.

>> she's got a picture. we cooked a turkey this year, and she was last night showing some friends this picture of me checking the turkey that wasn't flattering. thank you, dear. >> but the turkey was delicious. so that's all that mattered. >> that's all that matters. >> politics to the macks. it's nice to have you both with us. open invitation whenever you want to come on and talk about your issues. we certainly appreciate it. i'm telling you, that's a good documentary, prescription drugs. we should do it. ahead on "starting point," imagine instead of paying a flat rate college tuition, you had to pay according to what you decided to major in. florida is considering that plan. is it fair? and a celebration of women in music features miley cyrus, jordin sparks, many more. "american idol" alum is hosting the vh-1 divas show this year. capella university understands rough economic times

have led to an increase in clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up? with a degree in the field of counseling or psychology from capella university, you'll have the knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others. let's get started at capella.edu well, it's that time of year again. you know, picture-taking season.

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together for your future. ♪ welcome back to "starting point." i'm christine romans. european stocks are setting the tone for the week here. they're down after super mario monti announced an early resignation as italian prime minister. the fiscal cliff for payroll processors is not 22 days away. it's 4 days away, december 14th to be exact. millions of small businesses do their own payroll, and they're preparing now for the paychecks for the first week of january. right now they have no idea how

much to hold back for social security taxes and the expiring bush tax cuts. the american payroll association urging congress to make a deal on the cliff saying, quote, a delay in legislation beyond december 14th doesn't give all businesses enough time to update and test their payroll systems for early january paychecks. and in today's smart is the new rich, should you pay tuition based on which major you choose? the governor of florida rick scott considering it. a task force appointed by governor scott wants students to per sue so called s.t.e.m. majors against less in demand majors like history, philosophy, or english. the idea is to steer students to where there's the most need. liberal arts professionors claimed that could take money from programs already undergoing budget cuts. frankly, your college major does greatly affect how much money you're going to make. according to census data, engineering majors earn $3.5 million over a 40-year career,

more than the median earnings for all majors, $2.4 million. those education majors are in the list, $1.8 million. >> so they should pay less in tuition. >> they want a freeze. so the proposal is to freeze tuition for the in demand majors next two years. you go in as a freshman, same tuition three years in a row. if you're an english major, maybe not. your tuition keeps going up. >> the technology revolution over the last 30 years in k-12 is coming to education. more student debt, credit card debt. if your parents graduated from college, fewer five times more likely than someone whose parents did not. this is wurch of many aspects we're going to see on increasing pressure for schools to deliver more results for the dollars they get. >> and florida is pushing to have a four-year community college degree. they want to make them four-year schools, 28 of them they have. a $10,000 degree. >> tiny percent of people

graduate from community college. >> the completion rates are completely unacceptable. schools have to figure out how to do better. >> i don't think what the governor is considering is a good idea. >> it's reverse incentive actually. >> kind of weird, right? >> sll ahead, pop star adam lambert is going to join us. he's helping the music world's new generation of female stars celebrate legends like whitney houston and donna summer. he's hosting a vh-1 divas special. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer.

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that's adam lambert on "american idol." he is hosting this year's divas special on vh-1. this year includes miley cyrus, demi lovato, jordin sparks. you guys were on break for a while, and then from 2009 until now, it's continued on with a younger list of divas. what's it like behind the scenes? the part of being a diva is like you're difficult. you're a diva. >> well, i mean, i think that's one way of interpreting. >> rehearsals. >> we haven't had rehearsals yet. it's been a lot of e-mailing back and forth and phone calls, a lot of ideas. i'm not working with divas. everyone seems they're on a team. can you teach me how to be a diva. >> i'm certainly available. i'm taking notes.

>> these are up and coming. remember the first divas, which was great, and they were all on the stage, and they were trying to outsing each other. i think it was aretha and celine dion. who else? >> mariah was up there. carol king was playing the piano. >> and one would try to top the next because they're divas. >> and gloria estefan was there. she was funny because she was like the one, okay, girls, go for it. peace. >> i'm not going to be part of this. you're focusing on a couple of things. you're going to honor -- >> we're honoring donna summer and whitney houston. they left us this year, and they're icons, music industry and especially dance music. their music is part of our party culture, weddings and bar mitzvahs and school dances, you've heard all these songs. they're going to be doing tributes to both of them. lots of young singers this year. i'm kind of big brother

actually. >> are you okay with that? >> the big brother part or the young divas. i don't know them that well. i've seen them in passing. we'll see what it's like. >> how do you break in to be a diva? is it something that happens? >> that's really interesting. >> it may not last forever. >> i need to know these things. >> i don't exactly know how you earn the title diva, but i think you have to be fierce in your talent. i think that's kind of the first priority. and then i don't know. i think the whole negative connotation. i think we're going to try to prove it wrong this year. i think it's a positive thing. >> diva is not a four-letter word. >> and we're also changing that diva can be a guy too. we're proving that this year. that's what we're doing. >> let me ask you a question. can we talk about "american idol"? >> let's talk about it. >> what's going on with "american idol"? i was thinking the other day i don't really know the contestants anymore. i know about the nicki

minaj/mariah battle, and someone's got a gun. >> it hasn't started yet. we'll get to meet the contestants when it starts. hopefully the reality style battle won't take away from the contestants. >> was it phil phillips? >> he did great this year. >> from the first show, i watched the early show with my children. i recognized right away he was great. >> you're a pop culture friend, congressman. >> call me maybe. i know these things. you're going to be touring with queen? >> i did that already this summer. >> really? >> i did throw shows in the uk and three shows in eastern europe. it was incredible. it was such an honor. to be on stage with brian mann, roger taylor, rock royalty. it was kind of intimidating. the first show, we were in the ukraine, and it was 250,000 people. i had to take a big deep breath and just push through. >> what's it look like when you're performing to a quarter million people? >> it's bizarre. it's surreal. >> you focus on one person in

the audience and sing to them. >> i tried not to. i tried to turn my focus inside to the boys. >> you did radio ga-ga? >> with the claps, yeah. >> great song. >> and you did some work for the gay marriage initiative in maryland. are you excited or nervous the supreme court is hearing the case on proposition 8 in california? >> i'm excited. i think progress is the name of the game. as long as we continue to try to push forward, things will change. slow and steady, you know. >> we're excited. "divas" airs sunday on vh1. >> yes, sunday. some of the people that are going to be there. jordin sparks. demi lovato, ciera, kelly rowland. >> congressman crowley. >> you focus on the fiscal cliff, he'll do the divas. it's all good. i had enough of feeling embarrassed about my skin.

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bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. (announcer) when subaru owners look in the mirror, they see more than themselves. so we celebrate our year-end with the "share the love" event. get a great deal on a new subaru and 250 dollars goes to your choice of five charities. by the end of this, our fifth year, our total can reach almost 25 million dollars. it's a nice reflection on us all. now through january 2nd. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can.

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and it's time for end point. do you want to kick it off for us? >> i would. when i was watching that piece about the school in the rockaways that was flooded. during the campaign, mitt romney mocked president obama for saying he wanted the presidency to be the time when the rise in the ocean began to slow. it doesn't seem so funny now after hurricane sandy and the question of whether we can deal with this problem over the coming years. >> i think we should do more reporting on this whole global warming thing. what are the realities, and what is a bad storm that has nothing to do with global warming? >> the rise of the ocean is real. >> margaret? >> i keep going back to gabrielle douglas. such an inspirational sper view. such a great role model for young women. fantastic to hear her talk about her book. 2016. it's never too early to talk 2016, but i don't mean politics. >> gabby douglas. >> i want to go on rockaway beach, although not part of my district, it's where my mother is from, and my